Time is a Concept

From the time immemorial, ‘time’ has been the most talked about subject. The desire to surpass time has been burning in every human heart. Many scientists have attempted to make ‘Time machine’ without any success. On 22nd Sept 2011, it was reported that physicists running routine neutrino experiments between CERN’s Geneva HQ and the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy 455 miles away may have found their neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light. This news has rekindled the possibility of time-travel. Why are we so obsessed with the idea of beating ‘time’?

We feel trapped in the clutches of time. Every aspect of our life seems to be controlled by time. We are constantly reminded of its importance: – Time is money; Time and tide wait for none; etc. We seem to be always racing against time. There is never enough time to do everything in life. We seem to be running out of time on all fronts. Work deadlines, family commitments, social responsibilities, legal / regulatory demands and desire to rest take heavy tolls on the available time.

We want to go back in time and relive happy moments and correct those events that we messed-up. We also want to race ahead in time and have a sneak preview of the future events.

We are often tempted to ask, “When did ‘time’ begin?” The earliest known reference point for time is 13.75 billion years ago (based on the Big Bang theory), which is assumed to be linear. This assumption could be wrong and the time may well be non-linear. Then, we are also faced with the question: “What preceded the big bang?” If time didn’t exist before the big bang, how can we say when did it happen? The subject of time gets further complicated when we perceive it in relative sense. It appears to move very slowly when we are in a miserable situation and seems to race when we are enjoying. In dreams and at deeper sub-conscious levels, time takes weird dimensions – years shrink into hours or minutes. A recent Hollywood movie ‘Inception’ beautifully presented this aspect of time. Our dilemma is: “Which time shall we rely on?”

In reality, the question ‘when did time begin’ is fallacious. We must step out of time to ask this question, which is not possible. The truth is: time is a concept born out of human mind. Time is the interval between two events and is born at the second event. That is perhaps why the smallest unit of time is called ‘second’. Only human mind needs time, as it dwells in memories of the past and thoughts of the future. Vegetable and animal kingdoms don’t have to worry about time, as they are programmed to follow the nature’s dictates without undue thinking.

Everything in the life happens in the present. And, in the present, everything happens so spontaneously that time loses its significance. Those who live spontaneously need not worry about time. They totally submerge themselves in every experience and emerge fresh with new experience. For them, time is at best a tool to analyse past events for gaining necessary wisdom. Time can no longer command their lives. After all what happens to the time when a life suddenly ends? Can any time based research or planning avert this end? Why then waste life worrying over time? Time is only a concept – no more, no less. Let’s live with utter spontaneity.